The Story Behind the Mask
by KaraKurama
Summary: My own take on what happened before he ever came around...and a bit on what he was thinking when it finally happened.
1. The Beginning

Ichigo Kurosaki Age: 15 Occupation: High School Student and...........

........Substitute Soul Reaper

That's him. My son. He's getting big...but there's more to Ichigo than you've seen. Sure, we've revealed to you that I, Isshin Kurosaki, am a soul reaper myself, but you don't know the half of it.

Everything began when I went on a special mission to the world of the living.

Let's start from the beginning.

/Isshin's Past/

A young soul reaper-in-training stood in line to recieve his shihaksho, the soul reaper's uniform. His boxy face and cropped black hair made him look older, but Isshin Kurosaki was no older than the son he would one day watch replace him as the family's resident warrior.

"Isshin Kurosaki. 5623rd class of the Spiritual Arts Academy. Top Student. You have been placed in the 12th seat of the 4th squad. Your kido abilities make you adequate for healing in the field and you will go through the ranks quickly. Congradulations, graduate."

ISSHIN'S POV

That's me, Isshin Kurosaki, graduating from the SAA in Soul Society. My entry into the 4th squad made my future ability as a doctor work out smoothly. My captain, Retsu Unohana, was a wonderful woman and a great captain to work under. She had held the squad together for over a thousand years, one of the few original captains to graduate from the academy built just before she became a soul reaper. I rose very fast, eventually making it to vice captain of her squad before being promoted to captain of squad 3. I held the position for over 20 years...then she came...

Masaki Uriashi was my biggest crush. She was the 6th seat of my squad and she was good at what she did. I soon promoted her to vice captain and she stayed by my side. We spent long days together and helped each other out in battle while other captains began to hold their lieutenants seemingly hostage, the memories of former 5th squad captain Shinji Hirako and his own lieutenant's strained relationship that quickly let to the death of the captain still there.

I finally got up the courage to ask her out after a major mission one day after 5 years together. She agreed and thus our relationship was born. However, a conspiracy within the guard exiled her to the world of the living...but I could not follow. I was a captain and thus was needed to hold everything together.

Grief and sorrow kept me at bay for years...until I finally figured out how to leave. I found one of the captains exiled to the humans' lands after the death of Captain Hirako and he helped me to disappear. I was no longer a soul reaper, nor a captain, nor immortal...but Masaki was my wife. We never thought our children would follow suit. 


	2. Early Years

Author's Note: I know that it's been a long time since I've updated, but frankly, school is killing me. Anyway, I'm hoping you all review this new chapter.

Now that Bleach has progressed quite a bit farther than when I originally posted this story, I have changed the story line to fit new information in.

Story Note: Yes, there are places where Ichigo's dialogue has poor grammar. He's only 3 years old at this point, so I'm trying to make it as realistic as possible.

Now sit back and enjoy the next installment of The Story Behind the Mask.

Early Life

Masaki and I were busy raising our young son, Ichigo, and our newborn twin daughters Yuzu and Karin. Never did we think that being human could be so exhausting. But as time went on, we grew more accustomed to having kids and Ichigo was turning out to be quite the strong young one. Masaki babied him since he was the oldest, but I never thought anything of it.

I was keeping in contact with Urahara, as he was the only one who truly knew what we were and could help us cope. We were grateful and tried as best we could to include him whenever possible. However, as time went by, he became more distant, unable to meet with us and unable to stay in touch. When Ichigo was only three, Kisuke vanished from our sights.

The kids grew increasingly more dependent on each other and less on us, except for Ichigo. He clung to Masaki like a cat to a tree. They never went anywhere without each other. Just before he turned 4, I began to feel like Ichigo was acting strangely. I could hear him talking in his room at night and he would be tired the next morning, but it wasn't until he approached me did I finally realize what was going on.

It was just after dinner in the fall, near Halloween. Masaki was tending to the girls in their room and I was clearing the table. As I started to fill the sink with soap water, I felt a tug on my shirt.

"Daddy, I have a problem." I heard my son say. I stopped what I was doing and knelt down to his level with a smile.

"What is it, son?" I asked. His gaze turned toward the floor and tears welled up in his eyes.

"I don't want mommy to hear."

"Ichigo, if you have some imaginary friend, it won't hurt for anyone to know."

"It's not dat," he said, "It's about da people in my room." My face drained. I had been hoping that this day wouldn't come. I had the feeling I knew exactly what he was talking about.

"The people?"

"Yeah, the people in my room. Dey say they is surprised I can see dem and dey want help wiff stuff. I fink my room's got ghosties, daddy."

It was then that I knew that our little Ichigo was spiritually sensitive. Soul Society was well on top of things, though. None of the spirits visiting Ichigo were harmful. They just wanted someone to talk to.

I managed to calm him down long enough to tell him that seeing spirits wasn't bad and that, as long as they were not malevolent, that he could talk to them whenever they appeared. At this he let out a small smile and wrapped his little body around mine in a hug. I picked him up and carried him to his room, tucking him into bed and turning on the television. I had to admit that letting him watch TV was much better than reading a book. I didn't have patience for that, but when he requested it, I would read his favorite book.

A few nights later, after reading said book, I caught Masaki in between passes and stopped her.

"What is it, Isshin," she asked.

"It's Ichigo. I need to tell you something." I pulled her into our room and sat her down on the bed.

"Ichigo? What's wrong with Ichigo?" Her face was full of worry. I sat next to her and place my hand on hers. This didn't seem like a difficult thing to do, but it had to be done before she found out on her own.

"He's sensitive, Masaki. Ichigo can see and talk to ghosts. They're seeking him out." She sighed slowly. I could tell that she was reacting to the news the same way I did.

"We'll have to keep an eye on him then. There isn't much we can do anymore as humans, but we can still protect him from hollows if they appear. You know it'll happen one day. He's got more spirit energy lying dormant in him than you and I combined share."

"I agree, but now that we can no longer see them, we'll have to use him as our sensor, so to speak. He'll be able to alert us if anything should happen out of the ordinary."

"Let's just hope it doesn't get out of hand."

"Agreed."


	3. The Day My World Came Crashing Down

**Note:** _Well here we go. Another chapter up almost right after the last one. I've got a bit of free time on my hands, so I thought I'd use it to update a bit. It seems like people like this one, so I think I'll continue it._

_On a side note, I'd like to know which other stories you'd like to see completed or rewritten. Some of them were written when I was in junior high, so my skills have improved greatly since then. Please provide some feedback after you've read this chapter._

I hope you have been enjoying Story Behind the Mask. Here's chapter 3.

**/The Day My World Came Crashing Down/**

Our little family was remarkable. Ichigo had come to terms with his gift and it became apparent that the girls were showing signs of skill as well. With this exception, nothing was unusual about our home anymore.

Masaki and I had started a little clinic in the downstairs level of our home. I used my medical experience from Squad 4 to earn a degree and became a doctor. Masaki was my nurse and secretary. The kids were always at school or staying upstairs while we worked. Every once in a while one of us would run up to check on them, and each time they would be sitting in the living room watching TV or doing homework. Yuzu had picked up cooking from Masaki and would make lunch for all of us. At 8 and 5, our kids were proving to be some of the smartest of their age.

One day, while the kids were off at school, we were paid a surprise visit by Kisuke. We hadn't seen him for several years, and the business was slow, so we sat for a chat. What greeted us was not what we had hoped for.

Kisuke told us that the level of hollows was starting to overwhelm the soul reapers stationed here. Some of them were even dying, he told us. Masaki and I stared in horror. There was a hollow out there that was killing soul reapers, and was targeting humans with high spirit energy. It was then that we knew that Ichigo needed to be near us at all times.

After Kisuke's visit, Masaki and I began to personally escort Ichigo and the girls to school. I thought it was rather pointless since we had no powers, but the least we could do was be there if something happened. Masaki took Ichigo to Karate practice at night and I would walk him to school in the mornings. Clinic hours got heavier and I became busier, but Masaki would always find time to make sure one of us was there.

One particularly bad day came when a young man not yet thirty years old was rushed to our clinic after a serious car accident. Arriving with him in the ambulance was a young girl, who I presumed to be his daughter. I later found out that she was his sister. He was in cardiac arrest upon arrival to the clinic and we tried for nearly twenty minutes to resuscitate him. He died in my clinic. Little did I know this would haunt Ichigo in the future.

This next part is hard to document. The day my world came crashing down around me happened on a stormy June evening when Ichigo was only nine years old. As supper was cooking, Masaki left to pick Ichigo up from Karate class. As I gave her a kiss goodbye and told her I loved her for the millionth time, I felt something was wrong. A strange spiritual pressure had shown up a few days prior, on that seemed familiar yet I couldn't place it.

She called me when she reached the dojo so I knew she made it there safely. Ichigo was waiting for her and had had a rather rough class. His energy perked when she got there, I could feel it. When they left, however, the strange presence I had felt earlier began to converge on them. I ran out of the house to go look for them. Whatever that pressure was, it wasn't good; most likely a hollow. The fire which was Ichigo's slowly emerging energy dwindled significantly. They were in trouble.

It was when his spiritual pressure nearly disappeared that I broke in to a hard run. No way was I going to allow my son to be hurt by the likes of a hollow. My only problem was Masaki. If Ichigo was hurt then that must've meant that Masaki couldn't protect him, and that could only be caused by one thing. As I ran, I could feel Ichigo rekindle. He must've been unconscious. I got closer to where I thought them to be. Ichigo was emerging from under a bundle of cloth, but I couldn't make out what it was yet. He began to shutter and I could see him holding onto that bundle as if it were...

...Masaki!

"ICHIGO!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. He looked up at me and I could see the tears flowing down his face. It was then that I knew that what he was holding in his arms was not a bundle of anything. It was Masaki. Her blood covered body had been on top of him. My beloved wife had died protecting Ichigo from a hollow, but I would never tell him that. He could never know what truly happened. Either way, he beat himself up over it and was never the same again.

_There you are, chapter 3. If I get some reviews I'll start the 4th chapter. Until then, this is KK signing out._


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